Wrath of Courage
by Mocheezemo
Summary: Hatred, passion, love, dispair. Emotions burried deep within. Rose evil from inside. Dark awaits its chance to wake. The Rage within the Courage. Enjoy!
1. I Can' Do It

**AAAAHHHH!!! We're writing now! Fasten your seatbelts, folks, this a collaborative story written by us, the Mighty Mocheezemo! Also known separately here as Sunny and Necro. **

**Chapter One, CHYAAAA!! –Sunny's hyper, sorry- **

**

* * *

**

**_Wrath of Courage _**

**Chapter One **

I Can't Do It 

Blackness, for a moment the world was silent, pain was nothing, no breath in lungs pressed tight by the force of impact. In an instant, up became down, right, left, and his senses were a blur of motion and light.

Gasping for breath, the swordsman felt himself fall from the mechanical platform of light and metal, the disc vanishing as he dropped down to the broken ruins below. Without thinking one half-gloved hand came up to hold down the flowing black of his cap, the blue wings of his sword's hilt pressing against the top of his left hand as he braced himself for the force of hitting the ground.

Past one ear he flinched as a young man close to him in age with a cape of deep green and hair of midnight black was sent tumbling past him, helped along by the black-clothed man's shoulder. The Prince let out a startled gasp as his back arched over a portion of a long toppled pillar, his own sword still clasped loosely in one hand as he looked around in a daze.

Leaving the wounded opponent where he lay, the Hylian charged forwards down the steep incline of the underground tunnel. Jumping once as the ground fell away beneath his boots, his target was well in sight as he aimed his blade for a blunt stab straight through the other man's exposed back.

Crying out in sudden pain at the bloody wound, the red-haired general found himself falling forwards. The opponent he had been facing dropped her weight down onto her right leg, bending at the knee and arching to the side to avoid him as he went sailing past her and into the clouds and netting far below.

"Link," Breathless, a pair of crimson eyes flashed up towards him, the lower half of his partner's face obscured by layers of scarves as the ninja-like figure regained her balance and rose gracefully to her feet.

"Sorry, I'm late," He responded coyly, bringing his right hand up to sweep across his brow, wiping away a trace amount of sweat. In his left hand, the Master Sword's point was left trailing down towards the ground in a relaxed manner, the knuckles of his sword hand resting against his hip.

"Down!" Swerving out of the path of his partner's balled fist, the Hero blinked before a flash of silver whizzed past his shoulder. The sharp rattling noise of the chain cut through the war-cry of the Prince bearing down on the pair from behind.

Stunned, the Altean Prince let out a pained cry as the Shiekah's chain hooked around his neck and under his chin. A pull with more force than expected of the slight figure brought the swordsman flying forwards as Link brought his sword back up to attention. But he was still a moment to late as the Princess's alter-ego dropped down onto the small of her back as Marth sailed overtop of her, planted her boot on his chest, and gave him one final shove to send him over the cliff edge beyond recovery.

"Keep your head up if you wanna keep it." The smile was evident behind her scarves as the Sheikah was one her feet once again, back facing the drop where she'd just tossed the other royal. But she folded her arms in a scolding manner he keenly remembered coming from her mentor.

To his shock and her surprise, a moment later the air around them filled with angry flames. A vengeful Roy dropped from the broken platforms above with his sword charged and unleashing a fully powered blast of fire and heat along the Princess's back, sending her spiraling forwards into the still deeper catacombs beneath the shambled temple. Striking the steeply slanting roof once and then falling to the ground, the Sheikah clawed at the loose stones and dirt until her feet ran out of solid earth and she was left clinging breathlessly to the edge.

"Zelda!" Turning sharply towards the enflamed younger man, the knight pulled back his sword and aimed a powerful swing towards his side. The parry was weak, Roy holding his sword awkwardly at a downward angle as the Master Sword spat sparks at him. Drawing his blade back up however, the Hylian tried to jump back as fire surged up the length of the tempered steel and a second raging blast sent him flying back down the same path as the Sheikah moments before.

_"FIVE!... FOUR!..." _

The sloppy attack left him breathless from the force and heat of the flames, sliding down the loose pathway until his boot struck solid stone. Instead of slowing him however, the obstacle simply caused the Hero to continue sliding down the hill sideways on his stomach.

_"THREE!..." _

"Link!" He came to a stop directly over the edge, the hairs on the back of his neck rising as his eyes met first with the emptiness far below the hovering arena. Out of the darkness however he could see her, her eyes altered by ancient magics, her face covered by the scarves of her people's protector's. Throwing his arm out over the edge, her hold fell away under her fingertips.

_"TWO!... ONE!..." _

She dropped like a stone, the tight black contours of her body-suit swallowed up by the abyss far below. Somehow it seemed almost surreal, the shortened lengths of her sun bleached hair flaring past her eyes before a surge of white light signaled her exit from the game.

_"TIME!" _

_

* * *

_

"Sorry about that…" Knocking his head against the silver metal of his full-sized locker, Link sighed for what felt like the hundredth time since the match had ended over a quarter of an hour ago.

"I said don't worry about it; it wasn't your fault." The hiss of hot water splashing across the pale blue tiles of the shower muffled her words, but Link could hear the exasperated tone in her voice. The thick dividing wall kept the showers and lockers separated from one another, but they could still hear one another just fine as Link stood in front of a small wall mirror.

Furiously running his calloused hands through the drooping lengths of his golden bangs, the Hero ended up just letting out a sharp breath as he gave up. His hair was still wet from his own shower, but refused to cooperate with his attempts to tame its wild ways.

The sound of water tapering off came to his attention as the whisper of smooth cotton signaled the end of the Princess's shower. Turning without meaning too, the knight felt his ears suddenly burn as Zelda chose that moment to not only emerge from behind the dividing wall, but also to adjust her towel around her body. The clouds of hot steam made her skin glisten in the florescent lighting, and swallowing a hard lump the Hero turned right back around.

"Link?" Turning back towards his locker, he heard the clicks and clacks of the tumblers falling into place before Zelda began rifling through her own belongings. Taking a breath, he was still waiting to hear it for letting Roy get the drop on him so many times. Instead, he only heard the heavy sound of the towel dropping to the damp floor, and practically buried his face into the dark space between his shield and gauntlets. "I think we need to talk."

"I should've known he'd come from above."

"Not about that."

"Huh?" Blinking, he heard the sound of the locker snapping shut and straightened up. Regrettably, his head was still within the locker, and a moment later he was blinking stars out of his eyes with a splitting pain along the back of his skull.

"You seem tense," She commented, chuckling slightly as Link nearly jumped out of his skin. Her hands were softer than one would have expected from a trained fighter, but Link was well aware of them as her fingers gently began pressing down around his shoulders. At her touch, the hero felt a stimulating tingle run along his spine, snaking out from under her hands as she began working at the tight knots winding their way through his shoulders.

"Tense? A little maybe…" Stumbling over the words, Link felt himself beginning to melt under his partner's caress. Moving down as he finally began to relax, Zelda let her hands trail along his sides until they were spread across his front, at which point she leaned forwards against him. She let her chin come to rest over his shoulder, and Link couldn't bring himself to be aware of the thin layer of silk between them. After-all, she was a Princess.

Wait… Princess…

"Damn it…" His shoulders sagged just a bit as he let out a heavy sigh and he realized what the princess wanted was never able to be. They were from different backgrounds, she was a princess and he… An orphan? He had no standing, no titles or wealth; he was nothing in their world save what is sword had made him… Least of all a prince worthy of her hand.

"What is it, Link?" Zelda wondered if she had done something wrong as Link shrugged her hands off of his shoulders and gently pushed her away. He didn't turn to look at her, reaching instead into his open locker and starting to pull a fresh shirt over his head.

"Zelda," Eyelids drooping, he let his head hang as he spoke his princess' name, absently smoothing the front of his shirt into place. It could never be, was the thought running through his head. Oh, how he wanted not to have to do this, he wanted to be with her, he wanted to live the rest of his life by her side. But he was not a prince and was obligated to her father above all else.

"I just can't," Were the only words he could manage as he turned slowly to his open locker and grabbed his only black tunic to walk out of the shower room.

"And what do you mean?" She asked, her voice soft even as she tried to keep him from just walking out on her. He could hear the confusion in her words, gritting his teeth for a moment before speaking bitterly.

"I meant what I said. There's no need to say anything else."

"Next Competition, HP Battle, Green Greens Stadium, Roy vs. Link. Commencement in two minuets." The loud speaker in the hallway outside declared. The automated female voice sounded more hollow than usual to the distraught pair inside.

"I need to go now." And with that Link turned and once again began making his way towards the door.

"Wai-"

"NO! …I don't feel that way." Leaving the room and tension behind him, he let out a shaky breath and felt his thoughts tumbling over one another. He wished that he hadn't had to do that, could feel his stomach tying itself in knots, bile rising to the back of his throat as he forced himself to walk away. There was nothing he wanted more then to just run right back to her and take it all back with her in his arms.

But… a princess…

"I can't do it…"

* * *

**That took a very very very long time to write, three weeks mayhap? Four? Eight? Milly at least lost count...**

**That's what happens when you only write well at night, and school's still running. There's also the problem of much anticipation of what shall come LATER on in this story, and it being sort of hard to break the hearts of beloved characters. Well, sucks to be them. **

**We shall admit to the fact that we really, really, REALLY wanted to write what SHOULD have happened, but that wouldn't have worked out well for the rest of the story... But...**

**She dropped the towel!!**


	2. Bad Things Come in Threes

**_Wrath Of Courage_**

**Chapter 2**

Bad Things Come in Threes

Staring the young general in the face, Link tried to regain his focus before the match began. Link could not believe what he had just done. The princess was the one person he truly cared for, but his blasted duty to her and her family made it impossib-

"GO!"

The match had begun even before he had the chance to clear his head. This was not going to end well. And Link knew it as Roy came charging across the circular platform of their silent arena. The bracelet on his arm flashed a quick red as the general connected the edge of his sword directly across the Hero's mid-section. Flying backwards, the starry sky surrounding them didn't help as Link felt the breath rushing out of his lungs. No, this wasn't going to go well for him at all.

Roy is on his game today and he just wasn't. He hardly had a chance to make sense of his own thoughts as he brought his sword up in a weak parry. No good, Roy's free hand clamped over the Hylian's wrist and twisted him into the ground. Nothing was helping, even after he broke free of the hold, he couldn't bring his shield up fast enough to block the surge of fire coming from the other swordsman. Even once the fire was gone, he could only look up foolishly as the robin red of the general's cloak fluttered overhead. The following blast of fire sent him flying nearly over the edge of the platform.

He probably wasn't going to win, but as Link clawed at the metallic surface of the stage, he wasn't going to be a pity kill either. The General was making one of his notable mistakes as well, turning away from the fight and waving his hand in the air trying to work the crowd up. Well, they were cheering him on alright, but that didn't put Link out of the running just yet. He wanted some of his momentum back, and he was gonna get it too as he charged forwards. He slipped his shield onto his back in a smooth and practiced motion, both hands holding the blue hilt of the Master Sword loosely along the comfortable grip. Just keep cheering, Roy, keep cheering…

Reaching his opponent, the younger man seemed completely oblivious, the crowd's cheering growing louder as they could clearly see what the general could not. Link had the Master Sword up over his shoulder now, he was going to strike right down Roy's back…

Unfortunately… he was stunned to discover that not only was Roy expecting this but he had his blade drawn and just before Link's could connect. He had the most arrogant sneer on his face as he brought the tip of his sword up just a bit above ground and easily countered the oncoming blow. The Hylian just starred for a moment, watching the silver blades slide right along one another; his aimed for the floor, Roy's coming up at him…

The moment the edge of Roy's sword struck the winged guards of the Master Sword, the rush of flames was hot enough to sear Link's face. His hat was blasted right off by the strike, and he could feel his endurance reaching its limits.

What a… pathetic match…

Falling to his knees, he coughed violently as the heat stole his breath from right before he lost consciousness, the last thing Link remembered from that match was seeing Roy standing there with a smug look on his face. The general just bending down on one knee and stabbing his sword into the air behind him.

* * *

Opening his eyes slowly, Link knew he was in the Medical Bay just a few minutes from the arena. Pasty white walls, dull blue floors, glaring white lights and the dry smell of sterilized equipment overwhelming senses used to open fields and sheltered forests. 

_'I can't believe what a day this's been…'_, He thought to himself, feeling exhausted and downtrodden.

"Geya, Link, everything ok? You don't usually lose that badly in the arena against Roy." A small forty-something man in blue overalls and a green shirt was standing over his bed looking genuinely concerned. What with the stark appearance of the rest of the facility, it was a wonder his animated little form hadn't jumped out at Link sooner.

"Just had a bad day is all, no need to worry, Luigi. Thanks anyway." Luigi had always been a good friend to Link since the first day he arrived at the mansion. At least he could always count on Luigi to be there to talk to. "I just need something to take my mind off of things; you wanna come to the lounge with me?" He sounded so desperate as he said that, not meaning too but unable to help it. Luigi just offered him a comforting sort of smile. He didn't know what the problem was, but he seemed willing to listen.

"Okay, sure I'll just go back to my room an' freshen up; meet you there in ten." Luigi gave a slight wave and walked out of the room and in the direction that Link knew was not toward his room but toward his brother Mario. Poor Luigi always having to report his actions to his older bother Mario, and Mario was not even a full hour older then Luigi and he thinks he can control him.

Link stood and looked around for his things when he heard a slight knock on the door. walking over to the door Link thought that if this was Luigi saying he could not go out with him for one reason or another, then he was going to have to have a chat with Mario But this was not the case, Link opened the door and took a step back in mild shock as the princess Zelda came striding in.

"I've been waiting for Luigi to leave; I knew you'd be awake when he left. That was some beating you took from Roy, it's not like you Link, what's going on?"

"Nothing is going on, Princess." Link took real care to put extra emphasis on the title, more for his own sake then hers. Why did she have to be royalty? And if she **had** to then why was there so many rules and restrictions? Why did he have to be a Hero and put duty and the gods before anything else, regardless of what he may have wanted?

"Princess you need to leave now." If he had to be this way, if this was how they both just were, then he was going to make himself clear.

"But, Link-" Very clear.

"No, just go! I can't deal with this right now!" Crystal.

"Fine!" Zelda seeming very upset stopped out the door and Link cringed a bit when the door slammed loudly. Sighing to himself he looked at a clock, silently counting the seconds and minutes past to make sure he wouldn't end up following the irrate royal. Finally, he picked himself sorely off the medical bed, gathered up his gear and left the medical bay starting out for the lounge.

"A double whiskey on the rocks, please." Was his order as Luigi took a seat next to him. Link had already had two doubles before the plumber's arrival, in truth, he would've preferred ale from home, but the Smash Mansion didn't serve lower class beverages like that.

"You know, Link, Mario is needed to rescue a new princess and is leaving after this coming season." Luigi just began to ramble on and on about all the journeys that Mario has been on and the so few that he has done. Maybe he was trying to take Link's mind off of things, but he was silently touching on duty, a subject the Hero did not feel like discussing. Further more, as Luigi allowed himself to indulge as much as Link, his tone started slipping. Every so often, a bit of contempt bubbled up, followed by some annoyance directed at the older twin. Misery loves company at least, but Luigi's ramblings were slowly wearing thin on the Hylian's nerves.

"Link, why don't you think I get to go on as many journeys as Mario does?" Somehow, such a meek question suddenly seemed to bring the conversation to a head. Link didn't even know why, maybe he'd just heard it so many times in the past already.

Sighing he tried to word his answer in his head, but his day had not left him with a surplus of wit or tact. His patience had been rubbed raw and he had to bite back several responses first. It was so hard, but he didn't want to be a brute about it... It wasn't right to take his bad day out on others, not right, not right, not right. He had his _'duty' _to uphold as well...

"Link?"

"Luigi, you are not Mario!" the tone he used was not the one he had intended; Luigi just looked shocked and stood up.

"Well is that's how you feel, I'll leave you to your drinking." Before Link could do anything to stop him Luigi paid his tab and left. _'Great, now look what you've done.'_ He thought to himself, scolding his temper and frayed nerves._ 'First you cant even save and then have to turn down the only woman in your life, and now you've made enemies of your best friend.'_

Making his way back to his room, Link began to feel a sensation that he did not recognize. He felt odd, maybe it was just the alcohol creating a vice grip to keep him in the dark about his feelings. What were his true feelings? Arriving at his room Link opened the door and the only thing he saw was his own reflection staring at him from the mirror, it was staring like it was disappointed in him, but how could a reflection be disappointed? Maybe he was just seeing things or maybe he was seeing his own frustration with his actions.

"But what can you do about it?" He said bitterly, his voice low and holding muted anger. Link hadn't even noticed he'd brought the bottle with him until he'd closed the door and found himself staring at it in his hand. "You're just a peasant in the court's eyes; in the king's eyes..." Why not? No one was here to judge him, didn't peasants get drunk all the time? Like the low-class common fools they were? He didn't bother with a glass, just twisting the cap off and taking a deep swig. As he drank, he leaned back against the door and locked it.

"There's nothing you can do but deny 'er and leave it be." Maybe he didn't need ale, maybe the stress was enough to intensify the drink, his eyes were already blurring.

"What have you become? Who have you really become?" Link slouched at his own self loathing, walking towards the mirror and leaning heavily on the wooden stand. He couldn't help but wonder what had become of the small boy he remembered, of being so carefree not having to worry about saving the world, he only remembered having to worry about saving his dessert from the other children... Link tried to find out what went wrong, but he only became angry again.

Prophecy, duty, divine intervention... Weren't those the things story book characters were made of? Dashing knights on white prancing steeds, bringing enemies down with empowering words from the gods above? He didn't fit the Hero motif at all, if he rode through a village back home, no one knew him to be a knight; not with his grubby attire and work-bred horse, Epona.

Real lords had processions and flowers thrown at them, relished in the limelight, they didn't muck around in caves and spend anxious nights in the bellies of caverns crawling with monsters... What sort of Hero can't even parry a straight on sword attack? Was Roy just that much better than him? A real noble, with a father in the military, the fancy armor and damning sword techniques to prove it. That little shit was just that much better than him, wasn't he?

"Can't you... _Do **anything **right!?"_ Link shouted at the reflection staring back at him. Pictures of the days events flashed in his mind, as if they were tormenting him. He couldn't tell the woman he loved that he wanted to be with her, and he couldn't even save her when the need arose. Why couldn't he be the hero everyone wanted him to be? He just wasn't the same as the white knights and rich lords, he just didn't measure up to their standards. Just because another man's sword bursts into flames shouldn't mean he can't win the goddesses-damned fight!

He couldn't concentrate in a match that he should have easily cleaned house at. Why was everything just not working today? Even before, when he'd first woken up, something hadn't been right. He'd almost been late to that first match with Zelda, hadn't noticed how long he'd spent just standing in front of the mirror as he was now; not primping or admiring or anything foolish like that. Just standing, staring, wondering why the reflection just wasn't right...

But the one that made him feel the worst was treating his best friend like a damned mutt. Telling him he's never going to accomplish the one thing that he had always wanted; measuring up to his brother. And if he hadn't said it directly, he'd come damn near close. Link just hung his head in shame at the fact he was becoming aware he was worthless; he couldn't even come through when he was nee-

Link could not even finish that thought before he felt woozy. Swaying for a moment he regained his own thoughts, and they turned to Roy. Roy, he could not even think about that kid without wanting a rematch, what he would give to be able to pummel Roy right now. That is all the wanted to do since he lost today so badly. He wanted to see Roy bleeding on the floor within an inch of life. He wanted- wait what was he thinking? Roy was only doing what the goal of the match was, why was he so angry?

The blood rushing to his head, the 'unfit' hero caught sight of the nearly empty bottle of whiskey as it slipped from his grasp and shattered. There wasn't much left in it anyways, not a horrible mess to clean up, but the smell of the alcohol exploded throughout the room, and felt like a sendoff for him as his knees gave way. Stress, anger, frustration, he was in no condition to be drinking heavily, he should've known that. Now he wasn't even going to sleep in his own bed tonight, funny how he could think of these things as his shoulders met the hardwood. The last thing Link saw before he blacked out was his own reflection in the mirror.

"Fuck it... Roy."

* * *

**This delay is 110 Sunny's fault. I'm doing the Beta editing for this story, and I totally killed it with being slow as SIN.**


End file.
